Continuous rail for railways.



No. 758,620. PATENTED MAYS, 1904.

M. J. CUNNINGHAM & R. JENKIN.

CONTINUOUS RAIL FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY'31. 1903.

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i No. 758,620.

UNITED STATES Patented May 3, 1904- PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN J. CUNNINGHAM AND ROBERT J ENKIN, OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.

CONTINUOUS RAIL FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,620, dated May 3, 1904.

Application filed July 31, 1903. Serial No. 167,735. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MARTIN J. CUN ING- HAM and ROBERT J ENKIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Greene and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous Rails for Railways; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in continuous rails for railways, the object of which is to provide a rail that will not slip on the ties and one which will notv cut ofl? the spikes in the ties which hold the rail and a rail which will not creep forward -or backward and a rail which is made rigid at the joints or intersections of the rails. To accomplish these objects, we also form a sleeve which passes over the ends of the two rails where they come together for uniting the same, forming the two fish-plates with a spring tension to prevent the nuts from unscrewing on the bolts. These objects we attain by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1. is a view in elevation of the entire device. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 shows a modification.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A represents ordinary railway-rails any desired size. B represents a sleeve connecting them.

O is a bolt passing through the rail, and D the nut securing the same. Said rail is made with a projecting flange A on its lower outer edge extending downward along each side of the lower part of the rail for resting against the tie, and the weight of the train over the same causes the rail to form a groove in the tie, thus'preventing its slipping and also preventing it from cutting the spikes in the ties for holding the rail in place. Said projecting flange A may be serrated or toothed, as shown in Fig. 3, A for preventing the rail from creeping forward or backward. Instead of the downward-projecting flanges A or in connection with them the lower side of the rail may be notched, fluted, or scalloped in any desired way for accomplishing the same purpose. The sleeve B is made so as to fit the lower half of the rail and to receive the same by sliding over the end and then backward, so as to hold the two ends firmly in position where they unite. Said sleeve is provided with one or more holes for bolts to pass 7 through the ends of the rails. The sleeve B, as shown in Fig. 2, is made so as to be loose upon the rail, and when drawn together by the nut D on the bolt 0 it forms a constant tension or spring which prevents the nut from working olf by the motion of the train over the rail.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. A continuous railway-rail consisting of two rails having downward-projecting outer flanges and a sleeve uniting the ends at the joint, said sleeve being made to fit the lower half of the rail and provided with ordinary bolts and nuts for securing the same.

2. A railway-rail having outer downwardprojecting flanges combined with a sleeve formed to fit the lower half of the rail and for passing over the ends of the two rails where they are united provided with bolts and nuts for securing the same, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of a railway-rail having the lower side provided with projections with a sleeve for uniting the same, provided with bolts for holding the same at the joints, substantially as shown and for the purpose specified.

4. In combination with a railway-rail having projections at the lower side with a sleeve for uniting the same; said sleeve being formed to produce a spring tension on the bolt for forming a nut-lock, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN J. CUNNINGHAM. ROBERT J ENKIN.

Witnesses:

C. L. DALRYMPLE, H. E. MARTIN. 

